The Pony Beast
by HareTrinity
Summary: A dark secret lives in the kingdom of Canterlot and for thousands of years a select few have guarded her. Yet what hope do mere ponies have of maintaining the delusions of a god?
1. The first day

"She's getting worse."

In a dark room with stone walls a large beast sobbed. It was crouching in a corner and from it came occasional bursts of untamed magic, warping the room near it. The wall zapped into life, a huge mouth growing to swallow the creature whole; then another bright burst and the wall grew into scenery, a fantasy landscape growing out from the tower, spreading out into the night! Yet before its great forests could span far another spark of rogue magic turned the wall into a vertical lake...

"...Sir, somepony will notice if we don't do something soon..."

"Worse than that," a gruff voice replied, "Take a hard look, colt. What you see before you is the end of Equestria, mark my words."

"The... The end? But, sir, my family! My-!"

"Calm down colt... I have a plan... Go to the late general's house. Ask for his sister. Equestria will not fall on my watch, but... What we must do... It's a sin, colt. You will tell no one of this. You will let us old stallions and mares carry the burden and, in return for your silence... I will see peace reign again."

The young colt looked uneasy but nodded and turned to leave, pausing to add, "I will do as you say, sir... I... No one shall know."

With that he left the room, leaving the old stallion alone with the creature whose uncontrolled magic fits seemed to have died down with the sobbing as it finally cried itself to sleep.

"My..." he went over to it. Some starlight shone through the transparent wall, lighting the large being. It looked strong and healthy, in its sleep seeming as vulnerable as a foal... Yet it was more than that. Much more.

"You are a foal to come here..." murmured the stallion to the sleeping beast, "What brought you to us? We were safe... And you do not belong... You crash here, a formless beast, and steal our very shape... A mess that you are now, did you mean for this to happen? Surely not, for you cry so long and hard... And I, I _heard you_... I..."

He shook his head and looked through the rippling surface of the wall, the night's scenery barely visible through it. Sighing, he continued to mumble to himself, "We said we'd take you in, as you were alone, confused... Our god's word was that we must do so, and you... You destroy half the village... So MANY lives lost... But not you, you could not even be damaged. Not a scratch... And yet," he looked back down at the creature, "I heard you... Did I not? Or were you only echoing those around you? I thought I heard you say sorry..."

"Is it safe to be so close to that... That MONSTER?"

The stallion turned to the mare. As always she was upright and calm, her face a perfect mask for the grief she must feel. Smiling, the stallion returned his gaze to the "monster" at his feet.

"The temple of our god will become a palace..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Our god has arrived."

"Our- no..."

"...The old prophecies are true at last..."

The mare's voice took on a panicked tone, "You cannot MEAN that, has this chaos taken your mind? Please, tell me tha-"

"WHAT CHOICE DO WE HAVE!"

The stallion's composure had finally cracked as the day caught up with him; the confusion, the curiosity; then the shock and finally... The horror, the overwhelming terror... He took a few deep breaths and then, with a worried glance to check the beast still slept despite his outburst, approached the mare to continue in a frantic whisper.

"Of course I don't think... None of our stories, it... But we cannot kill this beast. They tried. She takes no wounds from the guards and now... Now she is with me, and did I not take the oath? To look after the lost souls of this world... If I fail, the others will run, but first we must TRY... We must keep our people calm. Canterlot must stand."

The mare's eyes showed in the faint starlight and her visible fear at his words comforted him. She had always been a steadfast source of sanity.

"...Will they believe it? And... The creature itself? It too?"

The stallion nodded, "They will have no choice... And as for this terrible beast... She IS young, I believe, despite her looks now... If her form is stable, she can even be shown to them. A god among us, the power would be immense... But not just a god. A child god in a palace... The... Outburst only started when she was distressed. We should try to keep her sheltered. We will make this young god our princess; we will save her and ourselves from the nightmare she has brought upon us! ...I think it will work."

The mare paused and then, almost to the disgust of the stallion, nodded. If she was agreeing to such measures then it had truly come to this...

"We shall form a small group, us and a select few... A sisterhood to know her secret and to look after her... I'll have the village fixed as quickly as possible, we can tell her that today was... A dream. A terrible dream. Convince her she is sinless and she will work harder to keep her slate clean. She is young and confused enough for that to work, is she not?"

"I believe so..."

The mare looked to the small creature sleeping in the starlight, "Its-... _Her _mane, it flows so oddly... Almost looks like the sky... How fitting. I'll see to it the neighsayers are silenced. Whatever ponies saw I shall make sure that everypony knows our truth; Canterlot's greatness is confirmed, for today the celestial heavens birthed us a god. A god in pony form."


	2. Elements of Harmony

A filly was crying as she sped through the castle, calling a name over and over.

"Sister Gem, Sister Gem!"

A cream-coated pegasus pony with dark turquoise hair came rushing over, catching the white filly in a warm hug, "Celestia! Goodness, whatever is wrong?"

"Cord and I, we were playing in the garden, and the statue of- oh Sister Gem I AM SO SORRY!"

The pegasus sighed, a smile playing on her lips as she realised all this fuss was about some garden ornament. A few of the Canterlot guard had come into the corridor at Celestia's shouts. The pegasus waved for them to move on before she patted her princess on the back.

"Now, now, Celestia... It's okay..."

"NO IT IS NOT!"

The cry echoed around the corridor. Celestia, crying hard, her eyes screwed tightly shut, waited for her Sister Gem to reply, to insist it was indeed fine. Instead she felt Sister Gem's reassuring hug slip away, followed by a soft thud...

The princess opened her eyes to see Sister Gem lying on the ground. Around her the corridor's guards were frantic, somepony was yelling for a Sisterhood member to be fetched, but Celestia was deaf to these cries. She was staring at her Sister Gem, who had fallen down. There was something very, very, wrong with her eyes... They were far, far, deeper than they should have been, like wells, and something seemed to be shining at the bottom...

"CELESTIA!"

That voice made Celestia start and she looked up to see an elderly stallion; Brother Gold Fleck. Before she could speak he was holding her with a firm hug. A screen had been set up by the guards around Sister Gem.

"Are they taking her away...?"

"Just for now, Celestia..."

"But..."

"Celestia, nothing has happened, don't dwell on that... Has something upset you?"

The white filly thought back, "The garden... The statue broke... Cord and I, we were playing and-"

"Him again? We told him not to come back here..."

"But Brother, he's my friend! He's..."

"Celestia, listen to me. He is nothing but a spirit of chaos. A mess, a monstrous thing."

"But it was me who-"

"CELESTIA!" Brother Gold Fleck moved back to look her sternly in the eye, "Celestia, listen to me. He's a creature of chaos. He brings that with him. You have done nothing wrong, it's him. He's never been anything but trouble. He corrupts things close to him. Now say it."

Celestia looked off to the side. The stallion sighed and nuzzled Celestia's neck softly, "It's okay, Celestia... That's just how some things are... Please say it, for me?"

The white filly looked back, sniffling a little before she stated clearly, "He is a creature of chaos. The statue was not my fault. He is a monster. He has always been trouble. He should not exist."

"Doesn't that feel better?"

Celestia nodded a little, smiling, "Yes... It does..."

+++

Later that night Sister Dewdrop, a bright pink unicorn pony with purple curls, was with Celestia in the royal's bedroom. Since the incident with Sister Gem the day had been uneventful, at least for the princess, and Dewdrop was charged with helping her ready for bed as well as an unusual task. The young unicorn, having heard the news of Sister Gem, had tried her best to get out of being involved, but it had already been decided. Now here she was, pausing uneasily, at the point where she'd normally leave the room so that Celestia could retire in peace. Dewdrop cleared her throat and used her magic to bring over a polished dark wood box, the princess watching with evident curiosity.

The young unicorn forcing a smile as she presented it to the white mare, "Look what Mr Stoneworth made you!"

Celestia let out a delighted squeal as the box was opened to reveal a set of stone orbs, each engraved with a symbol, "I KNOW those markings! I've drawn those!"

"That's right! Now that we've cleared up that Discord mess the Sisterhood thought we should tell you about how you did it. You may not have realised it at the time, Princess, but you are a very special pony- aha, well, THAT you should know... What I mean is; you have control over some special forces. They're called the Elements of Harmony..."

Sitting on the soft carpet Celestia listened in wonder as Sister Dewdrop told her about these balanced powers and how, using them in ways the Sisterhood could not fathom, she'd banished Discord.

"...And so we thought maybe it'd help all of us to understand if you could SEE the elements... So we researched them and we think we've now worked out how you called upon their power! You see, they're all very important qualities that you have, princess..."

The white equine nodded eagerly, "So as long as I have these I'll be strong and can protect Equestria?"

"That's exactly right!"

Celestia giggled excitedly and Dewdrop listed the Elements of strength Celestia possessed...

"Honesty, because a kingdom must know where its princess is and you never let us worry!"

_An announced predator takes no one by surprise. She must talk to us._

"Loyalty, like how we all stay together!"

_Our princess must not leave us. With her Canterlot is invincible._

"Laughter, as you bring us all so much joy!"

_The darkness of her mind brings her darkness onto us. Keep her happy._

"Kindness, like you show to every subject you meet."

_Stress her good nature. Emphasise its importance._

"Generosity, because you are our princess and your kingdom is wonderful."

_Remind her that we rely upon her. She must feel some responsibility._

There was a pause. Celestia looked at Dewdrop, "Well?"

Dewdrop smiled, "What do you think, Celestia? I'm sure you already know what your last power is."

The princess wrinkled up her nose in thought...

_Humour her. This story lacks credibility unless at least one is a power she truly feels. Make her name the last element._

"A power I possess... Oh! Magic!"

Dewdrop forced a smile, "Of course!" Her mind replayed the news of Sister Gem. "See, Celestia? You knew about the Elements of Harmony long before these were presented."

Celestia gleefully cheered for herself before looking over the stone orbs, happily trying to work out which was which. Dewdrop, forcing herself to keep focused, congratulated Celestia every time, making a mental note of which symbol was which so that the "old scriptures" would agree with the princess.

When this task was finally completed Dewdrop praised the princess' intuition once more, wished her good night and moved to exit the room...

"I think I saw my sister today..."

_My_ sister? Dewdrop turned, "Excuse me, your highness...?"

Celestia didn't look up from the stone orbs, "My... Real sister... Her... I thought I saw her around when... When I banished Discord... Do... Do you think she was helping...?"

"I..." Dewdrop didn't want to pause too long, she didn't want to be in this room anymore, "I'm sure she was. Goodnight princess."

Having shut the door behind her Dewdrop broke into a gallop. She had more than expected to tell the Sisterhood...

In her room the princess listened to the hoof beats fade away and sighed. Extinguishing the lights she looked out of the window to the cool clear night and its dark sky. Yes, her sister... Another as old as she who was never going to grow old or disappear before her... True family. And Celestia knew where she'd been hiding. She could see her right now. She'd been told it was an old mare's tale that the Mare in the Moon was a real pony but Celestia knew better. Every night before she slept she could feel her sister's presence. All this time she'd been hiding in plain sight... She'd done terrible things, but she did mean well, didn't she? She was sorry? She didn't mean to... Be involved... With what happened... She hadn't meant...

Celestia closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep with the feel of her sister closing in all around and the hope that the Sisterhood could... Help her... 

"...No, then her position as ruler of the kingdom would be questioned. It must be her YOUNGER sister, a dark mare... We can make this work."

Some of the others present in Canterlot Sisterhood's council chamber were less than impressed with their elder's words, the candlelight revealing more than a couple of worried and sceptical expressions.

"This is nonsense, everypony will notice! Why have they never SEEN this second princess?"

"Our princess Celestia brings the day, her sister must bring the night. Ponies sleep in the night. That is why they missed her."

"Oh for rut's sake..."

"Watch your tone!" snapped the elderly mare, "We WILL make this work, and this is how we will do it!"

Another mare chimed in, "This aside, what about her Sisterhood companion tomorrow?"

"Brother Gold Fle-"

"He followed Gem to the infirmary. I don't think we'll talk him into coming back anytime soon."

"Dewdrop then."

The named pony stifled her shriek and looked desperately to her mother who, seeing her daughter's terror, opened her mouth to respond, and was cut off before she could start.

"It WILL be Dewdrop, no discussion. We CANNOT fall apart now, this is NO TIME to get cold hooves! Just remember your training young filly, Gem's case is a tragic one but rare. Be strong. We will find you a replacement soon."

Dewdrop doubted the elder's words but held her tongue. Unless she intended to flee the kingdom it was clear that she'd be spending the next few days with Princess Celestia... 

As the sun rose the next morning Dewdrop trotted into the bedroom as casually as possible, bringing the princess her breakfast, "The Sisterhood wish to meet with you today, Celestia."

The princess yawned before looking over to the unicorn with a hopeful smile, "Is it about my sister, Sister Dewdrop?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia."

"She... She went too far, didn't she..."

Dewdrop meant to pick her words carefully, to be ambiguous, but before she could she heard her own quiet response, "Yes... Yes she did..."


	3. The Mare in the Moon

In the small village of Fillydelphia the Summer Sun celebration was in full swing and everypony was wide awake despite the late hour. The pegasus ponies had done well; not a cloud in sight and the warm weather had brought most parties outside. Away from most of the bustle was Celestia and a selection of Sisterhood members, waiting for the princess' key role at dawn.

Aunt Chestnut, the only earth pony to be the Sisterhood elder in a long time, smiled to herself. She remembered joining the Sisterhood and learning the shocking news that, without Celestia, the sun had always risen... The crazy conspiracy to convince ponies of otherwise must have been something to behold at the time. Still, if a god lands in your kingdom you may as well make it your god, and why not with every power of the old texts? Generally ponies had been taking those powers less literally before Celestia came but the Sisterhood founders were not to be put off, insisting on those parts of the text as literal fact and, smart ponies as they were, shifted and reworded other existing myths and indeed celebrations to fit their story and praise their princess. In particular the Harvest Renewal, rebranded as the Summer Sun Celebration, was celebrated with extra gusto. With the joy of the parties, stroked pride and the kingdom's growth came less questions asked, and eventually such questions were forgotten. Certainly nopony in Fillydelphia seemed to have anything but joy on their minds, and why should they? Lately ponies had believed that the village had a lot of economic growth coming its way and the Sisterhood had planned for Celestia's visit to help with that.

The princess herself stood upon a small grassy hill watching the moon. The Sisterhood had more or less gone along with Celestia's insistence that her sister was THE Mare in the Moon. The story now went that her little sister, "Luna", was hiding as a shadow cast upon the moon. She was hiding as she'd been naughty but she was still there for her sister, a true family member. Celestia had seemed to take much comfort from the concept and Aunt Chestnut felt rather proud of herself. It seemed Equestria would be safe for a while longer yet...

There was someone else.

Someone else was by the princess.

Aunt Chestnut started heading towards the pair; she had not agreed for anypony to talk to the princess before sunrise, what was-

It was Gold Fleck.

The Sisterhood elder broke into a gallop, joined by Dewdrop and her mother as they rushed to stop whatever disaster the former Sisterhood member could trigger, to stop him from-!

Too late.

"...-PID, STUPID, MONSTER! I WAS THERE! You have no idea what you are, do you? What you did to Sister Gem? How much pain you bring EVERY pony EVERY day! You KILLED her, you awful, TERRIBLE, BEAST!"

The three mares slowed to a halt as they heard the end of his rant. Celestia hadn't moved or even talked since the mares had noticed Gold Fleck, but her eyes were upon him, her bizarre mane and tail flowing though the light breeze had altogether stopped as the stallion yelled at her.

Dewdrop's ears lowered as she watched the scene. Something was happening to Gold Fleck. His mane had stopped before the wind had and it looked strange, like it was shortening. Under his skin something seemed to flow. He was trying to talk again, but no words were coming...

Celestia spoke.

"I..."

Something was happening to the stallion's legs now, they looked like they were dripping, he seemed to be seeping into the ground...

"Don't..."

Dewdrop's mother covered her foal's eyes and shut her own as tightly as she could.

"Believe..."

Dewdrop heard somepony gasp.

"You..."

Aunt Chestnut gritted her teeth and charged forward, "CELESTIA!"

The white mare was looking back at the moon now and by the time Aunt Chestnut reached her there were tears streaming down the princess' cheeks and the ground beneath them was starting to heave as if the land itself were breathing.

"She... She's coming, Aunt Chestnut..."

"No, Celestia, LISTEN TO ME!"

Around them the wind was picking up, quickly becoming loud and fierce.

"I... She's done horrible things, I..."

"FIGHT her, Celestia! STOP HER, use the Elements of Harmony!"

Nearby trees splintered in half as if an unseen force swept through them.

"She's... She's so powerful...! I don't think I-"

"She's your little sister Celestia, you're the responsible one, PROTECT YOUR KINGDOM! If she will not follow your rules then STOP her! BANISH HER!"

"My own... Little sister... Banish? Aunt Chestnut, I can't-... This is her HOME, I-"

A quake ran through the ground and the sky itself shook.

"She's a creature of the MOON Celestia, SEND HER THERE!"

Squinting through her windswept mane Aunt Chestnut saw Celestia gasp, the white mare's wide eyes still fixed on the moon. The Sisterhood elder bit her lip, had she gone too far? Was the whole illusion, the illusion of Celestia herself, about to break?

All at once a bright light emitted from Celestia's horn and around the filly five floating stone orbs appeared. Celestia was mumbling to herself, "...Honesty, for I lie to nopony... Kindness, for I look after all... Laughter, for the joy I bring... Generosity, my plentiful kingdom... Loyalty, I will forever protect my subjects... And my greatest power, MAGIC..."

At the last word the sixth orb appeared above her, her wings spread and Celestia's brilliance truly became that of a sun goddess. From her came a bright light that filled the entire area and all who looked upon her dazzling form forgot the quaking ground and howling winds, they forgot their confusions and worries, forgot their hopes and loves, they forgot their own lives at that time and it mattered to them not, for in that moment it was only Celestia...

It was over. The scene had ended abruptly as a waking dream. The ground lay still and Aunt Chestnut found herself, in one piece, on the grassy hill as it had been before. She looked to her princess to see a smile creeping over the tear-stained face.

"I... I did it, Aunt Chestnut... I sent her there..."

The Sisterhood elder looked to the moon and her jaw dropped. Clearer than ever before were its Mare in the Moon markings, dark and distinct upon its surface. Swallowing hard and picking her words carefully the elder responded, "She'll be safe there, Celestia... You know where she is, she's far away but you'll always be connected because she's your family... Everything is safe like this..."

Celestia nodded happily.

A few hours later the rising of the sun ritual went ahead as planned, revealing a surprisingly cloudy day and many damaged trees, though thankfully the buildings of Fillydelphia and its inhabitants had suffered no major damage. Anypony who had seen strange things happen with Celestia on the hill quickly had their stories set straight. The frightening events had in fact been caused by her younger sister, not Celestia herself, as Princess Luna had come to try to stop the celebration, to keep it as night forever. Luckily, everypony was told, the great and wondrous Celestia had used the Elements of Harmony to banish her sister to the moon. There her sister could enjoy her nights and Equestria its days. The Sisterhood and its influence had insisted this was a happy ending to the matter. There was little in the way of objections but, after an entire morning selling that story, the present Sisterhood members were looking forward to leaving Fillydelphia as planned.

As the crowds dispersed one young Sisterhood member found the time to quietly approach Aunt Chestnut, checking over her shoulder before whispering, "I can't find anything on the hill, I-"

"Don't worry yourself about it, Sister Dewdrop."

"But the body, was it cleared or-?"

"There is no body. I was watching. You should not dwell on the matter. The princess is waiting and we must be strong..."

The young pony felt a slight chill as the words sunk in and she watched her elder head towards where the chariots awaited. It had been scary enough to hear of Gem, and to see... Whatever she did see happen to Gold Fleck. Yet Aunt Chestnut had watched it all and then saved everything. No major thanks and already she was going back to the monster she had defeated, to act like all was well... Dewdrop herself had long regretted joining her mother's special club and hoped to withdraw as soon as she was allowed to, but... She couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pride. She and the rest of the Sisterhood; the unsung protectors of Equestria, protecting it from its own mad deity.

At the princess' chariot, Aunt Chestnut smiled and gracefully thanked her ruler once again. Yes, at last... Celestia seemed happy, more sincerely happy than she'd ever seen her. Maybe everything was indeed safe...


	4. 998 years later

"Where did you get this?"

The young colt flinched at his elder's yell, "In th-the courtyard, ma'am! A school filly s-said it's a new version, that b-bookshops throughout the land will have had deliveries...!"

Many Sisterhood members had yet to arrive at the emergency meeting, either busy with jobs or out enjoying the sun. Unfortunately, those gathered were coming to realise, it seemed likely that the rest of their day would be spent in this windowless council chamber. The book now being passed around the room's tables had grave implications.

One of the members present gasped sharply as she read the page, "Why would they DO this?"

The elder shook her head, "An honest mistake, or an attempt to add suspense perhaps? Most ponies these days don't think that the Mare in the Moon sealing story is real, let alone know when it happened... And all this is now besides the point, we MUST get rid of these books...!"

"It'll attract too much attention! Were that to happen it could backfire!"

Another member spoke, "At least the ones in the kingdom?"

The elder nodded, "Yes, we'll go with that... You three, I need a backup plan, and... Where is the princess now?"

"I think she's with that Twilight filly..."

Groans came from many of those gathered.

It had been an accident; Celestia had been expected to head straight back to the palace. At first the Sisterhood had thought her distracted by the Sonic Rainboom that lit up the sky for a dazzling moment that day, but it was not to be; a dragon's head had burst through the roof of an exam hall. Celestia had gone to investigate and met Twilight Sparkle, a fangirl with a talent for magic and, instantly taken with her, their princess had on the spot made the filly her "protégée". After finally retrieving their princess the Sisterhood had soon heard more than enough about "Twilight the protégée" as their god-like being bounced around the castle telling the news to anyone who would listen. The Sisterhood had planned for any protégés to be Sisterhood members and this slip in protocol on top of the letting Celestia befriend an outsider was... Embarrassing at the very least. The guard was tightened after that day.

"That bookworm... I can see where this is going..."

The elder sighed, the same thoughts not far from her mind, "We must try... Still, let us further discuss our backup plan..."

She pushed aside the book that had been brought in for the Sisterhood to read. Open on the subject of the Mare in the Moon, its page ending with this:

"_Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year the stars will aid in her escape and bring about night time eternal._"

+++

Some months later an unusually tall pony was trotting confidently into the castle. She was a dark brown pegasus, her mane done up in a tight bun and her tail in a short braid, their pale grey colour the only hint of her age without one getting close enough to see the wrinkles on her face. She wore a yellow woollen shawl that was a little soggy due to the rainy weather that dark-skied day. Still, head held high she had primly trotted straight past the guards before they had chance to stop her. She ignored their commands for her to "halt" and continued on her way at a brisk pace. Arguing over who would take the blame the guards, not used to physically restraining the elderly, uneasily started to give chase. They were relieved to be quickly interrupted by a commanding officer who reassured them that Mrs Weather Shine was to be expected.

It wasn't until she was well within the castle that she was actually stopped by somepony.

"You there, are you here to help with the carpet?"

At these words Mrs Weather Shine stopped. She was close to her destination now, running a little late on account of the weather, yet had no intention of letting herself be addressed in such a manner. She turned, narrowing her eyes, and glared through her half-moon spectacles at the stallion who had spoken, "Excuse me?"

The youth, a white unicorn with light amber hair, rolled his eyes, "Oh PLEASE, don't tell me you're deaf? An old nag like you dressed in nothing but a tatty shawl, you MUST be here to help clean that old rug."

The pegasus pony stifled a grimace as she realised he was indeed talking to her. As she didn't comment, however, the stallion apparently took it as his cue to boast...

"It's very expensive, you know. Made by zebras."

Another pause. He narrowed his eyes.

"Don't think you'll get chance to run off with it either, we'll b-"

"You're a Nephew aren't you."

The white unicorn eyed her suspiciously, "What of it?"

"I could spot your type a mile away. Not initiated, probably not intending to be, not in fact DOING anything, just living off mummy and daddy's wealth. How do you expect to learn about the world, to do anything worthwhile? What do you contribute in any way to anypony?" The pegasus stamped down a hoof and snorted. "You will refer to me as Madam Weather Shine and I'm here to meet the Aunt."

The young stallion's eyes widened as he realised his mistake, "You? Y-you're here to meet the Sisterhood? You mean...? Oh, please, M-Ms Wea-!"

"Madam."

"-Madam Weather Shine, let us talk this over! If my mother knew that I'd spoke-"

"I will tell whichever pony whatever I please. If you're going to stammer like a foal all day then get OUT of my sight to do it."

The stallion spluttered out gibberish for a moment before turning tail and galloping away from the angry mare. She spat, muttering to herself as she continued on her way to the Sisterhood's council chamber.

The room was large and lit only by a small lantern on one of the tables. Alone at this table was a pale green unicorn pony, Aunt Parsley; current elder of the Canterlot Sisterhood. She was staring at the table's surface, deep in thought, her eyes full of sadness. Hoping her friend's sadness didn't relate to her being slightly late for their reunion Mrs Weather Shine cleared her throat as she headed into the room.

Aunt Parsley looked up at the sound and, smiling warmly, went to greet her friend.

"It has been too long, Shiner..."

"Indeed it has... And here you are, finally the elder of the Sisterhood! I thought Aunt Song Heart would NEVER leave her title...!"

The unicorn smiled sadly, "I do not think she would have were the situation not so dire..."

"Threw it off onto you once she foresaw bad times, hm? Ah, that clever old mare... Still, I assume that the Sisterhood aren't all as bad as the Nephew I met on my way here?"

"Who do you- oh. You've met Prince then. Honestly, that colt... I wish I'd never let that Hoity Toity character onto the grounds! Though I suppose most of his models don't let it go to their heads quite so quickly... Yes, that Nephew's good for publicity but bad for our reputation and the Sisterhood would prefer a little less of both. Which brings me to the matter at hoof..."

"Indeed. What part do I play in all this, Parsley?"

"You know I cannot say much, Shiner... But it concerns your schools, we're looking for somepony to perform a... Rather unique role, should the time arise. And it must be kept quiet."

Mrs Weather Shine nodded, "I'm listening..."


End file.
